Another Review of The Passion

A Review of the Passion
And Answers to Common Objections of the Movie

The Passion is a remarkably accurate telling of the final twelve hours of the life of Christ. It follows Christ from the Garden of Gethsamene, all the way to the Cross in remarkable detail. While artistic license is taken in some minor details(such as the demonic children chasing Judas, or Satan in the Garden), overall, the Biblical accuracy of the movie is astounding. The script is almost entirely taken from Scripture with a few lines added to keep the flow of the story moving smoothly. A few details from Scripture were left out, but nothing major enough to compromise the accuracy of the movie.
The biggest objection of the movie is that of so-called 'Anti-Semitism.' There can be no valid reason to suspect the movie of being Anti-Semitic. In fact, the very opposite is true. The movie serves to remind believers of the Jewishness of Christ and His disciples. Christianity is not Anti-Semitic in orgin, although factions of Christianity have persecuted Jews. The B'rit Hadashah(New Testament) and Tanakah(Old Testament) are both primarily Jewish in orgin and are central to the Christian faith. Christianity is Judiasm fulfilled through the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. Yes, the Jewish leaders are portrayed as 'having it in for Yeshuah(Jesus),' and the truth is that they did. The four gospels are all very clear that the Pharisees wanted Christ dead in no matter what. But just as the Jewish leaders are portrayed as hating Christ, the Roman soldiers are rightly portrayed as sadistic men who tortured Christ with a smile on their face. To claim that this movie is anti-semitic is tantamount to claiming that every movie made about Nazi Germany is Anti-German, it just isn't true.
A second objection to the movie arising from some Protestant Christians is that it emphasizes Marian Devotion found in Catholic theology. Absolutely nothing in this movie can be construed in this manner unless one is already prejudiced against it. The movie shows a loving mother/son relationship between Mariam(Mary) and Yeshua. At no point in the movie is Mariam ever portrayed as a co-redemptrix for the sins of humanity.
A third objection is that the movie focuses too much on the pain that Christ suffered for the sins of mankind, and not enough on His resurrection. The only answer that can be given for this is "Duh!" The entire point of the movie is to focus on the suffering Christ had to endure to pay the price of sin. Scripture itself spends more time on the suffering of Christ than it does on the resurrection, as evidenced by the(approximately) 380 verses from the Garden to Christ's death, compared to only 38 verses(or 10%) on His resurrection. The movie does touch on the resurrection briefly, as if to say, "We've showed you how much He suffered, but guess what? He lives!"
Those who wish to find something wrong with the movie will do so no matter what. Some just need to find something to complain about, and any perceived wrong in the movie will suffice them regardless of the accuracy of their complaint. Admittedly, the author sat through the movie with the intention of taking notes in an effort to examine the accuracy of the movie. Halfway through the movie paper and pen were put away since there was nothing to report. The author spent over fifteen hours of independent research and study into the last hours of Christ on earth leading up to the resurrection and can find nothing worth reporting other than the fact that this is destined to become the greatest religious movie of all time.

© Will Rogers 2004.